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Pavarotti Pasta Recipe by Bellino Spaghetti alla Luciano

 

LUCIANO Cooks PASTA


“BRAVO LUCIANO” !!!

PAVAROTTI PASTA

Recipe :

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium Onion, peeled and sliced
2 j- 32 oz. jars of Italian Tomato Passata (we like Mutti)
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley
12 fresh Basil Leaves, washed and torn with your hands
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 pound of imported Italian Spaghetti (best quality)

In a large skillet, add the Olive Oil and onion. Cook the onion on low heat for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.

Add the wine, turn heat to high, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the Tomatoes, Tomato Paste. Add 1 1/2 teaspoon each of Salt & ground Black Pepper, and half of the Pecorino Cheese.

Bring to the boil. Once the tomatoes start to bubble, low heat to low, and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, being sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon to keep the tomatoes from sticking  or burning.

After 20 minutes, add the Basil & Parsley, and cook 5 minutes more. The Tomato Sauce is done. Turn the heat off and let it rest in the pot.

Fill a large pot, 3/4 full with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a rapid boil. Add the Spaghetti.

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Two minutes before the the pasta cooking time on package, remove one cup of water from the pot and reserve. When the spaghetti is 1 minute away from the cooking time on package, turn the heat off and drain the pasta in a colander.

Add the Spaghetti back to the pot it cooked in and add half of the cooking water. Add 2 cups of the tomato sauce. to the pot, and turn the heat on to a low flame. Cook for 2 minutes on a low flame. Add more of the pasta cooking water if it gets too dry.

Turn the heat off, and drizzle some olive oil over the spaghetti and mix.

Plate a portion of Spaghetti onto each persons plate. Add about half a cup of Tomato Sauce on top of each portion of Spaghetti, and serve.

Serve with grated Pecorino or Parmigiana Cheese on the side. 

Enjoy !


Recipe by Daniel Bellino Zwicke








SPAGHETTI alla PAVAROTTI 


A DINNER PARTY at LUCIANO’S

NEW YORK






SINATRA & PAVAROTTI







And PASTA SINATRA !!!

SINATRA SAUCE 

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

Daniel Bellino Zwicke
AMAZON.com






Anthony Bourdain Favourite Secret Restaurant in Rome – Lunch with Asia Argento – Settimio al Pelligrino – Roma

 

Anthony Bourdain with Asia Argento

A Meal at Settemio

Rome, Italy

TONY’S SECRET RESTAURANT – Rome

On Sunday December 5, CNN broadcast a stunning Rome episode of Parts Unknown in which Anthony Bourdain and Asia Argento go to a trattoria, which they do not name. It’s Settimio. Sorry for the spoiler but I don’t believe in depriving Mario and Teresa of business through exclusion Watch the episode it is brilliant.

I vividly remember my first visit to Settimio al Pellegrino. It was in 2007 and my friend Jess and I had gotten a hot tip from a regular that a short walk from Campo de’ Fiori sat an uber-authentic trattoria serving simply dressed fresh pastas, meaty mains, and seasonal vegetables. We made a booking but when we showed up for dinner the door was locked. We were already off to a rough start. One of us noticed a button next to the door and after a sustained buzz, chef and owner Teresa opened the door a crack and said something to the effect of “chi siete”, who are you?

If that doesn’t sound like a warm greeting, it wasn’t. But at Settimio, warmth isn’t doled out frivolously. Warmth is earned. If you turn up without a reservation, there’s a real chance you will be sent away, whether they are booked up or not. It’s the kind of place where the possibility of a regular rolling in late leads Teresa and her husband Mario to set aside tables for such an occurrence. And even calling to reserve well in advance doesn’t guarantee a table. On that note, if you don’t speak Italian, have your hotel ring for you. And if all this sounds too fussy, don’t read on. Settimio isn’t for you.




TONY’S SECRET ROMAN TRATTORIA – ROME



ANTHONY has LUNCH with ASIA ARGENTO

“The SECRET TRATTORIA”

TONY says,  “Rome is a place where you find the most extraordinary pleasures, in the most ordinary places. Like this place. Which I’m not ever going to tell you the name of. Asia has been coming here forever. She brings her kids here. So I’m not going to screw it up for her. 

The trattoria is SETTINIO PELLIGRINO. I’m not letting Tony’s secret out of the bag. That happened years ago, Just passing on the information for anyone who wants to go there, and need the name of the restaurant and address (Via del Pelligrino 17 -Roma .. tel 06 6880 1978).





ANTHONY BOURDAIN

PARTS UNKOWN – ROME



PARTS UNKNOWN – ROME

With ABEL FERRARA & ASIA ARGENTO



I have to be honest: arbitrary seating policies give me agita. I grew up in restaurants and treasure hospitality. I want to connect with the people who make and serve my food, not be rejected or dismissed. Yet I was determined to win over Teresa and Mario. That night, Jess and I ordered every course, including my current go-to, polpette, scorched yet delicious meat patties. We cleaned our plates, admired the eclectic decor (framed posters and paintings gifted by Settimio’s clients, which include plenty of artists and film makers) and watched as Mario worked the room, taking orders and doting on regulars. Teresa emerged from the kitchen occasionally to clear plates and pinch cheeks. Man, did it feel bad being an outsider at Settimio that night.

Jess and I apparently didn’t make much of an impression because I went back on my own a few days later for lunch and was given the same suspicious treatment. After a few more visits, however, I was totally in, cheek caresses and all. This is good news if you live in Rome or visit often. You, too, can become a doted-on regular. Otherwise, visit knowing you won’t be pampered by the service but you’ll definitely walk away having witnessed a Roman relic. 






SETTIMIO PELLIGRINO

ROMA



That is to say, a lot of what’s appealing about Settimio is the attitude and atmosphere. Some regulars have been going since the place opened in the 1930s, others a decidedly shorter length, but all are given special attention. In that way, the place is not unique. The attraction to countless other local joints is the experience and the relationship with the owners, even more so than the food.

I don’t think anyone with Roman dining experience would say the food is flawless. Like many places in town, it makes sense to stick to certain things like those meatballs or the onion-rich vitello alla genovese. At Settimio, comfort food reigns: fettucine with meat sauce, gnocchi with tomato sauce (Thursdays only), trippa alla romana, and involtini (meat rolls). The handmade pastas pass muster, but you won’t write home about them. The pillowy, super sweet, candied chestnut-studded Montblanc, which they do not make in house, is another story. I dream about it sometimes. Usually right before I go to the dentist. I am also very into the mela cotta (baked apple). I’m a sucker for overcooked fruit. 

Second only to the struggle of winning the owners’ affection is the wines, which range from undrinkable to painfully undrinkable. While it’s charming that regulars leave unfinished bottles in the fridge for their next visit, I can honestly say that the only wine worse than the wine at Settimio is day-old wine at Settimio. It’s not what you’ve come for anyway.


Settimio al Pellegrino
Via del Pellegrino, 117

+390668801978 









Trattoria  SETTIMIO PELLIGRINO

ROME

SETTIMIO PELLIGRINO
ROME
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What The Fuck Happened to Music ? They Don’t Make Good Music Anymore – Why ? 21st Century Music Sucks !!!

 WHAT HAPPENED to ALL The GREAT MUSIC ???? NOBODODY MAKES IT 

ANYMORE ???

WHY ?  “The MUSIC of The 21st CenTURY SUCKS” !!!!

Is OLD MUSIC KILLING NEW MUSIC ?

“LET’S HOPE SO.  NEW MUSIC SUCKS” !!!




The BEATLES



The following is an article by Ted Gioia, titled Is Old Music Killing New Music, and article published in The Atlantic. And with a rebuttal by music lover, author Daniel B. Zwicke.


From The ATLANTIC

by Ted Gioia 


TG :

Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market, according to the latest numbers from MRC Data, a music-analytics firm. Those who make a living from new music—especially that endangered species known as the working musician—should look at these figures with fear and trembling. But the news gets worse: The new-music market is actually shrinking. All the growth in the market is coming from old songs.


Rebuttal by Daniel Zwicke


DZ .. This is because New Music SUCKS, and the music of the past is Superior to the so-called new Music plain and simple. I even have a hard time even calling the garbage that they (so-called musical artists) call music, music. “Not” !!! The so-called new music of the past 20- 25 years or so is so horrible, it really mystifies me. This garbage they have been putting out, is usually devoid of rhythm and melody, and usually lacks any sort of structure. The stuff is Flat, and doesn’t have the multi layers of music that so much of the fabulous recordings of the 1960s, 70s and even into the 1980s had. 

I just don’t get it? How so much wonderful music was produced in the R&B, Rock N’ Roll, Pop, and Vocalists Genres in the 60 and 70s, with thousands of wonderful recording, and then all of a sudden, great music died. it disappeared, and all we were left with is Shitty Rap Hip Hop Crap, so-called Alternative Rock, and painfully mediocre solo artist like Justin Timberlake. 

Alternative Rock? This one makes me laugh. Alternative to what? Great Rock? Yes I beleive so, because this so-called alternative Rock is so shitty, flat, devoid of structure and any sort of ryrhrm or melody what-so-ever like Hip Hop, it just plain” SUCKS!”

The 200 most popular new tracks now regularly account for less than 5 percent of total streams. That rate was twice as high just three years ago. The mix of songs actually purchased by consumers is even more tilted toward older music. The current list of most-downloaded tracks on iTunes is filled with the names of bands from the previous century, such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and The Police.

DZ : Again, this is because current day music Sucks!


TG :

I encountered this phenomenon myself recently at a retail store, where the youngster at the cash register was singing along with Sting on “Message in a Bottle” (a hit from 1979) as it blasted on the radio. A few days earlier, I had a similar experience at a local diner, where the entire staff was under 30 but every song was more than 40 years old. I asked my server: “Why are you playing this old music?” She looked at me in surprise before answering: “Oh, I like these songs.”

DZ : Because the older music is great, and superior to the Shit they (current music industry persons) have been putting out for the past 20 years.

TG :

Never before in history have new tracks attained hit status while generating so little cultural impact. In fact, the audience seems to be embracing the hits of decades past instead. Success was always short-lived in the music business, but now even new songs that become bona fide hits can pass unnoticed by much of the population.

DZ : What is Bonafide? They are not Bonafide hits, they are garbage, that become hits, simply as a result of the people who support them have such Horrible Taste in Music. It’s as simple as that.

TG :

Only songs released in the past 18 months get classified as “new” in the MRC database, so people could conceivably be listening to a lot of two-year-old songs, rather than 60-year-old ones. But I doubt these old playlists consist of songs from the year before last. Even if they did, that fact would still represent a repudiation of the pop-culture industry, which is almost entirely focused on what’s happening right now.

DZ ” What is happening right now, and for the past 20 years is that the music industry consist of un-talented artist like Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, etc., most Rap artist, and just about all of the so-called Alternative Rockers that produce horrible shitty music. Theew are practically no talented artist in this day and age capable of producing anything great, like hundreds of talented Rock, Pop, Solo, and R&B artist of the 60s and !970s, and even into the 1980s. Artist like : Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Barbara Streisand, and so many others. The list is long. There were thousands of wonderful songs recorded in the 60s and 70s. Thank God for that, as we enjoyed those great songs then, and thanks to recordings we can enjoy them now, and not have to listen to the Shit Music of the past 25 years. Simple as that.

TG :

Every week I hear from hundreds of publicists, record labels, band managers, and other professionals who want to hype the newest new thing. Their livelihoods depend on it. The entire business model of the music industry is built on promoting new songs. As a music writer, I’m expected to do the same, as are radio stations, retailers, DJs, nightclub owners, editors, playlist curators, and everyone else with skin in the game. Yet all the evidence indicates that few listeners are paying attention.

DZ : “Hello, record labels, publicists, band managers, and other so-called music professionals?” Try making some good music, instead of the garbage you make now and for the past 25 years. Try to train musicians to become great singers, song writers and musicians like : Eric Clapton, Carol King, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Marvin Gaye, Joe Perry, Barbara Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, all music known as The Philadelphia Sound, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Smokey Robinson.  Music made by these talented musical artist, has melody, rhythm, rhyme, and reason, and sounds great, like the great R&B, Pop, Rock, and Vocals of years past.

TG :

Consider the recent reaction when the Grammy Awards were postponed. Perhaps I should say the lack of reaction, because the cultural response was little more than a yawn. I follow thousands of music professionals on social media, and I didn’t encounter a single expression of annoyance or regret that the biggest annual event in new music had been put on hold. That’s ominous.

Can you imagine how angry fans would be if the Super Bowl or NBA Finals were delayed? People would riot in the streets. But the Grammy Awards go missing in action, and hardly anyone notices.

DZ :  “Geeze are you Kidding Me Man? The Grammys Suck.” There is nothing but shitty artist and shitty music. Why would you want to watch a show like that? It Sucks. There might be a few good spots here and there in the show, if you have an artist from the 60s or 70s singing one of there songs. Like if Barbara Streisand was on and sang one of here songs. The Grammy’s is horribel. I can remember the last tiem I watched it for about 30 minutes back in 2014, and it was so horribel, because it’s a show about music and all the music sucked. Go figure? Not like how great the Granny Shows were back in the 1960s, 70s, and even the 80s, with great musical artists like: The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Dianna Ross, Streisand, and such. These were great Granny Shows, great musical artist and great music, unlike today with shitty talentless so-called musicians and horrible shitty music, makes for a Shitty Grammys Show, plian and simple.

TG:

The declining TV audience for the Grammy show underscores this shift. In 2021, viewership for the ceremony collapsed 53 percent from the previous year—from 18.7 million to 8.8 million. It was the least-watched Grammy broadcast of all time. Even the core audience for new music couldn’t be bothered—about 98 percent of people ages 18 to 49 had something better to do than watch the biggest music celebration of the year.

A decade ago, 40 million people watched the Grammy Awards. That’s a meaningful audience, but now the devoted fans of this event are starting to resemble a tiny subculture. More people pay attention to streams of video games on Twitch (which now gets 30 million daily visitors) or the latest reality-TV show. In fact, musicians would probably do better getting placement in Fortnite than signing a record deal in 2022. At least they would have access to a growing demographic.

FRANK SINATRA

Many consider Frank Sinatra to Be

The GREATEST SINGER of The 20th CENTURY


TG :

Some would like to believe that this trend is just a short-term blip, perhaps caused by the pandemic. When clubs open up again, and DJs start spinning new records at parties, the world will return to normal, or so we’re told. The hottest songs will again be the newest songs. I’m not so optimistic.

Read: Why aren’t there more women working in audio?

A series of unfortunate events are conspiring to marginalize new music. The pandemic is one of these ugly facts, but hardly the only contributor to the growing crisis.

DZ :  Let’s face it. The factors are that there are no talented musical acts anymore. The so-called musical artist are devoid of tatlent, and their so-called music is awful.

TG “

Consider these other trends:

  • The leading area of investment in the music business is old songs. Investment firms are getting into bidding wars to buy publishing catalogs from aging rock and pop stars.
DZ :  Because the music is great, and the musical artist from past are superior to today.

TG :
  • The song catalogs in most demand are by musicians who are in their 70s or 80s (Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen) or already dead (David Bowie, James Brown). 

  • DZ …. Again, superior artist, and superior music. 

TG :

  • Even major record labels are participating in the rush to old music: Universal Music, Sony Music, Warner Music, and others are buying up publishing catalogs and investing huge sums in old tunes. In a previous time, that money would have been used to launch new artists.
DZ …. It only makes sense to do this. Invest in superior products, not inferior ones like  todays ss-called musical artists.

TG :
  • The best-selling physical format in music is the vinyl LP, which is more than 70 years old. I’ve seen no signs that the record labels are investing in a newer, better alternative—because, here too, old is viewed as superior to new. 

  • DZ … “Yes it is. So True.”

  • In fact, record labels—once a source of innovation in consumer products—don’t spend any money on research and development to revitalize their business, although every other industry looks to innovation for growth and consumer excitement.

  • Record stores are caught up in the same time warp. In an earlier era, they aggressively marketed new music, but now they make more money from vinyl reissues and used LPs.
DZ :  “Again. Superior Music. 99% of the so-called music of the past 20 to 25 years is horrible. You can’t listen to it. Not if you have good taste in music.”





ARETHA FRANKLIN
The QUEEN of SOUL



  • Radio stations are contributing to the stagnation, putting fewer new songs into their rotation, or—judging by the offerings on my satellite-radio lineup—completely ignoring new music in favor of old hits.
DZ :  “Superior music to present day music.”

TG :
  • When a new song overcomes these obstacles and actually becomes a hit, the risk of copyright lawsuits is greater than ever before. The risks have increased enormously since the “Blurred Lines” jury decision of 2015, and the result is that additional cash gets transferred from today’s musicians to old (or deceased) artists.
  • Adding to the nightmare, dead musicians are now coming back to life in virtual form—via holograms and “deepfake” music—making it all the harder for young, living artists to compete in the marketplace.
DZ :  Because the so-called artist of today do not have any talent. Again, the musical artist of the 60s and 70s are so much better, so far superior to those of today, it isn’t even funny. No contest. The artist of today are Horrible. Kanye, Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift? Please?


TG :

    As record labels lose interest in new music, emerging performers desperately search for other ways to get exposure. They hope to place their self-produced tracks on a curated streaming playlist, or license their songs for use in advertising or the closing credits of a TV show. Those options might generate some royalty income, but they do little to build name recognition. You might hear a cool song on a TV commercial, but do you even know the name of the artist? You love your workout playlist at the health club, but how many song titles and band names do you remember? You stream a Spotify new-music playlist in the background while you work, but did you bother to learn who’s singing the songs?

    DZ :  It’s quite simple. Try being talented. Make good music, if you can. Make good music, you’ll get noticed. But 98% of the artist of today, have no talented, and are unable to produce great music, the likes of Pop, R&B, and Rock Music of the 60s and 70s … There’s your answer.

    TG :

    Decades ago, the composer Erik Satie warned of the arrival of “furniture music,” a kind of song that would blend seamlessly into the background of our lives. His vision seems closer to reality than ever.

    Some people—especially Baby Boomers—tell me that this decline in the popularity of new music is simply the result of lousy new songs. Music used to be better, or so they say. The old songs had better melodies, more interesting harmonies, and demonstrated genuine musicianship, not just software loops, Auto-Tuned vocals, and regurgitated samples.

    DZ …. “Yes, exactly what I’ve been telling you all. Present day songs and artist are Lousy. Plain and simple. “Music used to be better. Better melodies, more interesting harmonies, and genuine musicianship, not software loops, Auto-Tuned vocals, and sampling.” Hello ??? No kidding. a keyword there, Musicanship, that’s what the artist of the 60s and 70s had. It’s practically non-existant today, other than a handful of artist like Alicia Keys and a few others. So few others, you could probably count on one hand. These are the problems.

    TG :

    Just take those old records off the shelf

    I’ll sit and listen to ’em by myself …

    I can understand the frustrations of music lovers who get no satisfaction from current mainstream songs, though they try and they try. I also lament the lack of imagination on many modern hits. But I disagree with my Boomer friends’ larger verdict. I listen to two to three hours of new music every day, and I know that plenty of exceptional young musicians are out there trying to make it. They exist. But the music industry has lost its ability to discover and nurture their talents.

    DZ :   “I don’t think so.”


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Music-industry bigwigs have plenty of excuses for their inability to discover and adequately promote great new artists. The fear of copyright lawsuits has made many in the industry deathly afraid of listening to unsolicited demo recordings. If you hear a demo today, you might get sued for stealing its melody—or maybe just its rhythmic groove—five years from now. Try mailing a demo to a label or producer, and watch it return unopened.

The people whose livelihood depends on discovering new musical talent face legal risks if they take their job seriously. That’s only one of the deleterious results of the music industry’s overreliance on lawyers and litigation, a hard-ass approach they once hoped would cure all their problems, but now does more harm than good. Everybody suffers in this litigious environment except for the partners at the entertainment-law firms, who enjoy the abundant fruits of all these lawsuits and legal threats.

The problem goes deeper than just copyright concerns. The people running the music industry have lost confidence in new music. They won’t admit it publicly—that would be like the priests of Jupiter and Apollo in ancient Rome admitting that their gods are dead. Even if they know it’s true, their job titles won’t allow such a humble and abject confession. Yet that is exactly what’s happening. The moguls have lost their faith in the redemptive and life-changing power of new music. How sad is that? Of course, the decision makers need to pretend that they still believe in the future of their business, and want to discover the next revolutionary talent. But that’s not what they really think. Their actions speak much louder than their empty words.

In fact, nothing is less interesting to music executives than a completely radical new kind of music. Who can blame them for feeling this way? The radio stations will play only songs that fit the dominant formulas, which haven’t changed much in decades. The algorithms curating so much of our new music are even worse. Music algorithms are designed to be feedback loops, ensuring that the promoted new songs are virtually identical to your favorite old songs. Anything that genuinely breaks the mold is excluded from consideration almost as a rule. That’s actually how the current system has been designed to work.

Even the music genres famous for shaking up the world—rock or jazz or hip-hop—face this same deadening industry mindset. I love jazz, but many of the radio stations focused on that genre play songs that sound almost the same as what they featured 10 or 20 years ago. In many instances, they actually are the same songs.

Read: BTS’s ‘Dynamite’ could upend the music industry

This state of affairs is not inevitable. A lot of musicians around the world—especially in Los Angeles and London—are conducting a bold dialogue between jazz and other contemporary styles. They are even bringing jazz back as dance music. But the songs they release sound dangerously different from older jazz, and are thus excluded from many radio stations for that same reason. The very boldness with which they embrace the future becomes the reason they get rejected by the gatekeepers.





DIANA ROSS & “The SUPREMES

One of Many GREAT “MOTOWN” Acts of The 1960s



A country record needs to sound a certain way to get played on most country radio stations or playlists, and the sound those DJs and algorithms are looking for dates back to the prior century. And don’t even get me started on the classical-music industry, which works hard to avoid showcasing the creativity of the current generation. We are living in an amazing era of classical composition, with one tiny problem: The institutions controlling the genre don’t want you to hear it.

DZ : Actually, the Country Music genre, is the only musical genre nowadays producing good music. Rap Sucks, Altenrative Rock Sucks, and Country Music is the only musical genre that has been putting out any good music for the past 20 years.

The problem isn’t a lack of good new music. It’s an institutional failure to discover and nurture it.

DZ : Yes, they should try to nurture new talented musical artist if they can.

TG : 

I learned the danger of excessive caution long ago, when I consulted for huge Fortune 500 companies. The single biggest problem I encountered—shared by virtually every large company I analyzed—was investing too much of their time and money into defending old ways of doing business, rather than building new ones. We even had a proprietary tool for quantifying this misallocation of resources that spelled out the mistakes in precise dollars and cents.

Senior management hated hearing this, and always insisted that defending the old business units was their safest bet. After I encountered this embedded mindset again and again and saw its consequences, I reached the painful conclusion that the safest path is usually the most dangerous. If you pursue a strategy—whether in business or your personal life—that avoids all risk, you might flourish in the short run, but you flounder over the long term. That’s what is now happening in the music business.

Even so, I refuse to accept that we are in some grim endgame, witnessing the death throes of new music. And I say that because I know how much people crave something that sounds fresh and exciting and different. If they don’t find it from a major record label or algorithm-driven playlist, they will find it somewhere else. Songs can go viral nowadays without the entertainment industry even noticing until it has already happened. That will be how this story ends: not with the marginalization of new music, but with something radical emerging from an unexpected place.

The apparent dead ends of the past were circumvented the same way. Music-company execs in 1955 had no idea that rock and roll would soon sweep away everything in its path. When Elvis took over the culture—coming from the poorest state in America, lowly Mississippi—they were more shocked than anybody. It happened again the following decade, with the arrival of the British Invasion from lowly Liverpool (again, a working-class place, unnoticed by the entertainment industry). And it happened again when hip-hop, a true grassroots movement that didn’t give a damn how the close-minded CEOs of Sony or Universal viewed the marketplace, emerged from the Bronx and South Central and other impoverished neighborhoods.

If we had the time, I would tell you more about how the same thing has always happened. The troubadours of the 11th century, Sappho, the lyric singers of ancient Greece, and the artisan performers of the Middle Kingdom in ancient Egypt transformed their own cultures in a similar way. Musical revolutions come from the bottom up, not the top down. The CEOs are the last to know. That’s what gives me solace. New music always arises in the least expected place, and when the power brokers aren’t even paying attention. It will happen again. It certainly needs to. The decision makers controlling our music institutions have lost the thread. We’re lucky that the music is too powerful for them to kill.


DZ :  If you are talking about the New Music now, all of us with good musical taste know that current day Music is Horrible. It Sucks pure and simple. If you are talking about new music in the music of the future that we might have a glimmer of hope that there wil be new music in our future to replace all the Shit of the curretn day of people like Kanye West and Justin Timberlake (horrible), and that their might be great music in our future once again. That we might once again have musical artist like ” Frank Sinatra, Barbara Steisand, The Bealtes, Dianna Ross, The Supremes, The Four Topsm The Sylistics, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Perry Como and the like, this would be great, if it happens, but as those of us with good taste know, current day so-called msuc Sucks, and thankfully we can listen to music of the 1940s, 50s, 60s, The 1970s and even the 80s, and we don’t have to listen to the Grabage of today and the past 20 years.

“Basta” !!!




“BECAUSE CURRENT DAY MUSIC SUCKS” !!!

21 CCENTURY MUSIC SUCKS !!!

WHAT The HELL HAPPENED to MUSIC ?????




READ WHY 21st CENTURY MUSIC SUCKS !!!!









SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK
AMAZON.com




Back in Sicily – A Celebration with author Daniel Bellino

The CATHEDRAL of SIRACUSA

BAROQUE FACADE

 

At the Teatro Greco

Siracusa, Sicily 2017





Posted this on Facebook 2017

Celebrating the 1 year anniversary of successful major surgery July 5, 2016




My Favorite Place to Eat in Palermo

Antica Focacceria San Francesco



View from my hotel Window

Alia / Roccapalumbo, Sicily



Hanging with Francesco and Giuseppe

Caffe Glamour, Lercara Friddi

SICILY




My Grandparents Church

The DUOMO, Lercara Friddi



My Hotel on Ortigia

Domus Mariae Hotel

Siracusa, Sicily



View from my hotel balcony at Domus Mariae

The Isle of Ortigia



The Cathedral of Siracusa


It was built over a Greek Temple of Athena. dating back to the 5th Century BC (before Christ).You can see the Greek Columns left from the Greek Temple that the Cathedral (Duomo) was built upon. The Cathedral has several different architectural styles to it. The Cathedral di Siracusa was constructed in the 7th Century under Saint Bishop Zosimo. The building was converted to a Mosque in 878 under Moorish Rule, but was converted back to a church under Norman Rule when Roger I retook the city in 1085. The beautiful present day facade was built between the years of 1725 – 1753 and is classified as High Sicilian Baroque. It’s absolutely Gorgeous. As of 2015 the Cathedral holds a number of relics of Saint Lucy, the Patroniss of the city of Siracusa. The relics include; a robe, a number of bone fragments, a veil, and a pair of Saint Lucy’s shoes. The Cathedral shares the large Piazza with the Church of Santa Lucia Badia, a short walk to the south of the piazza. The Church of Santa Lucia Badia possess’s a monumental painting by Caravaggio painting of the Burial of Saint Lucy. I’ve been in many churches and Cathedrals all over the World. The Cathedral di Siracusa is one of the most beautiful of all.




SANTA LUCIA BADIA




The Church of Santa Lucia Badia, Ortigia, Siracusa

SICILY



CARAVAGGIO

“The BURIAL of SANTA LUCIA”

The Church of Santa Lucia Badia


According to The Golden Legend, Saint Lucy had bestowed her wealth on the poor, in gratitude for the miraculous healing of her mother. Denounced as a Christian by her own suitor who wrongly suspected her of infidelity, she refused to recant, offered her chastity to Christ, and was sentenced to be dragged to a brothel. Miraculously, nothing could move her or displace her from the spot where she stood. She was pierced by a knife in the throat and, where she fell, the church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro in Syracuse was built.

Caravaggio had escaped from prison on Malta in 1608, fleeing to Syracuse. There his Roman companion Mario Minniti helped him get a commission for the present altarpiece. Caravaggio painted it in 1608, for the Franciscan church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro. The choice of subject was driven by the fact that St. Lucy was the patron saint of Syracuse and had been interred below the church. The subject was unusual, but especially important to the local authorities, who were eager to reinforce the local cult of St. Lucy, which had sustained a setback with the theft of her remains during the Middle Ages



A Church in AGRIGENTO


The Chiesa del Purgatorio, Agrigento, Piazza d’ Purgatorio. the statues, the work of Giuseppe and Giacomo Serpotta, represent the virtues: love, simplicity, charity, prudence, justice, religion, fortitude, meekness . Also noteworthy are the two seventeenth-century confessionals and the marble statue of the Madonna della Melograna, attributed to the Gagini school. Finally, the Chapel of the Crucifix is ​​splendid, covered with pure gold, the work of the sculptor Pietro Carletto.





NONNA BELLINO’S COOKBOOK

Recipes from My SICILIAN NONNA

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SINATRA SAUCE

CELEBRATING SICILIAN-AMERICAN

FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA

The SINATRA FAMILY is From LERCARA FRIDDI

SICILILY

The SAME TOWN as The BELLINO FAMILY

And Author DANIEL BELLINO “Z”


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FUNK 49 – the James Gang – Joe Walsh

ONE of The MOST BAD ASS SONGS EVER !!!

“LOVE IT” !!! 



The JAMES GANG RIDES AGAIN

“FUNK 49”







The JAMES GANG

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SINATRA SAUCE

THE COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

HIS FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES
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Old School Italian Red Sauce

 


“RED SAUCE” !!!

by Bellino

GREENWICH VILLAGE NY

Get a FINE ART PRINT
FROM – FineArtAMERICA

SUNDAY SAUCE

alla CLEMENZA

alla BELLINO alla PACINO

“RED SAUCE
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MAKING RED SAUCE
Author of SUNDAY SAUCE

Daniel Bellino “Z”

MAKING “RED SAUCE”

aka SUNDAY SAUCE

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MANGIA ITALIANO

ITALIAN FOOD MEMORIES

ITALY & NEW YORK

STORIES with RECIPES
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My Positano – Daniel Bellino Zwicke theDannyReport

 

 
 
POSITANO
 
HOTELS – POSITANO – AMALFI COAST



 

POSITANO ?  “We’re HERE!”

 

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

    The Blue Sita Bus pulled into Positano sometime in mid-afternoon and stopped in front of the Bar International. Boy was I excited, “Positano at long last.” It was the end of the line for me. I hopped off the bus and got my bags and headed into the bar. I needed to use the bathroom and throw some water on my face, and then get a small bite to eat. I got a Prosciutto & Provala Panino and a glass of fresh squeezed OJ. I sat down to relax before heading down to the Villa Maria Antonietta. It was a good long walk down many stairs and through alleyways as I navigated further down to the lower part of town, always moving toward the Sea. I was carrying two pieces of luggage, and the going wasn’t that easy, except that I was a strong young man of just 23, and so it really wasn’t a problem. Nowadays at nearly 60, the same trip would be significantly harder, but I could still do it. I’d have to go slower though. Anyway, I finally made it to the spot somewhere near the area called Mulini and asked someone for directions. A man told me exactly where the little pensione was, and so I headed over. It wasn’t far at all, and in no time flat, there I was at Villa Maria Antonietta. I asked the lady if she had any rooms available. She did, so I checked in, but not before showing her the Letter of Introduction from Rene Ricard. She took a quick glance and then brought me to my room. Once inside, I took a hot shower and unpacked some of my clothes before heading out to explore this new town. Positano.

 

   I left my little hotel and made my way down towards the sea. As I walked, I looked around in astonishment, spellbound with every step. Everything I had heard about Positano seemed to be true. Yes it was beautiful, magical, and invigorating. Nothing was exaggerated. I felt like a kid on Christmas Day. I was filled with that childlike euphoria. “Do you know what I mean?” Nothing like it.

 

 Yes, no one had overstated their thoughts of this enchanting little town. Everyone’s descriptions were true, and if anything, they had been understated. Positano was totally amazing, and for me, “It was Love at first sight.” 

 

 

 

 

Le SIRENUSE

 

 
 
Le SIRENUSE
 
POSITANO
 
One of The WORLD’S GREAT HOTELS
 
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  The houses and hotels in Positano were stacked one atop the other as they straddled and rose up the hills that make up the special characteristics that the town is known for. Down where I was, there were all sorts of cute shops and charming little boutiques, including; ceramic-shops, Custom Sandal-Maker Shops, caffes(bars), pasticcerias, and restaurants. Of course there were hotels, locals homes, and private villas as well. There were outdoor markets, salumerias, and all sorts of fun things to see and do. The Blue Tyrrhenian Sea was just a few hundred feet away, and so off I went. 

 

   I walked down to the sea to look around. The water was quite lovely and there was all sorts of activity going on with people swimming, and lounging on the beach. Boats were arriving and departing from town. From down here as you look to the sea, there is a little beach at the center, with the town’s main boat-dock on the right, which is right next to the Cove dei Saraceni Hotel. Here you can catch ferry boats going to; Amalfi, Capri, Ischia, Naples, Sorrento, Salerno, and all points along the Amalfi Coast. From this spot the best beaches are off to the left or right of this center area from the little free beach which is not as nice as the two other beaches off to the far-left and far-right. There are a number of restaurants and bars down by the beach, including the famous Chez Black (a favorite of Denzel Washington), where they make Heart Shaped Pizza. There’s also Buca di Bacco (my favorite) with their beautiful terraced restaurant and bar, and the always welcoming Trattoria La Cambusa. If you turn your back to the Sea, you will see that the town of Positano just springs up out of the Sea, with the famous hill of a million pictures on your left, with houses stacked one-on top-of-the-other, they creep up toward the small hamlets of Montepertuso and Nocelle high above the sea. The same can be said for the hill to your right and the one directly in front of you, Positano rises from the sea and there it is smack dab in front of you, it seems as though Positano sours straight up to the Heavens. In fact, there is a famous path that is a popular place to hike, and the trail is known as “The Path of The Gods.” 

 

   Standing with you back to the water, you will see the dome of the Church Santa Maria Assunta. Looking a little to the right, you will see one of the World’s best hotels, Le Sirenuse, a favorite in Positano. If you can afford it, it’s wonderful. It’s the building painted in a Rust Colored Red with White trimming. It is well situated, with wonderful views of lower Positano and the Sea.

 

   Most of the town is sort of a large natural amphitheater. It’s quite an amazing sight to see, and it is just one reason that people have been flocking to this little town for years. They come from every corner of the world.

 

   After walking around the lowest part of town by the sea, I made my way back towards the center and found myself at the Caffe Zagara for some Gelato in their lovely little garden. La Zagara is in the Mulino area of town, and it is smack-dab in the middle of Positano. Again, I was in 7th Heaven. I sat back with my gelato, and just aimlessly did nothing. I took it all in. The setting here is as magical as any place in all of Positano, no matter which part of town you are in, Positano is always enchanting. Positano, there’s no escaping its beauty.

 

    After my gelato at La Zagaro, I headed down to the La Scogliera Beach Club to swim, relax, and just do nothing. “Now this is pure Bliss.” They have a snackbar / restaurant at this beach club, and I’d have a little something to eat for lunch or just a small snack. The rest of my time at La Scogliera Beach Club, is spent swimming, reclining on my chaise lounge, and sipping my Campari. I’d close my eyes and listen to those special beach sounds. You know those wonderful beach sounds don’t you? It’s the sound of Seagulls, waves crashing on rocks, music coming from the radios of those lying on the beach, the chatter of people talking, and it all blends together to make that very special kind of sound. Beach Sounds, I guess you could say. “You know what I mean, don’t you?” It’s especially nice when I just lie there with my eyes closed as if I were sleeping, but I’m not. I’m just relaxing and listening to the sounds of the sea, and all that goes with it.

 

   After the beach, it would be up to Bar DeMartino for my late afternoon aperitivo, before heading back to my room for a nice two-hour nap. 

 

  It’s late afternoon, and it’s “Aperitivo Time.” Bar DeMartino was one of my all-time favorite spots in town, and for that matter the World. It was absolutely wonderful. Sadly the place closed a number of years ago. Way back in the mid 1980s when I first started going to Positano and The Amalfi Coast, Bar DeMartino was so very wonderful, and the place to hang in the evening after you had dinner, and still want to stay out on the town. It was also the most wonderful place for an afternoon cocktail. Bar DeMartino was the perfect little bar (cafe). It was owned by the DeMartino family, and was a family business. Mother and father, and the two daughters Betty and her sister Rosaria all worked there. I got to know the family well. Naturally you could get a great cup of Espresso, which in Italy is not called espresso, but un cafe. Yes, you could get espresso, cappuccino, fresh OJ, sandwiches, Italian Cocktails, or Amaro, and Gelato too. They have a few tables inside, and outside, across the street, they had a terrace with a few tables, under umbrellas. It was quite possibly the best spot in all of Positano, for the most wonderful view. It was amazing. And all for the price of just one drink. An incredible bargain. A bargain at the time, in the past nothing is a bargain in Positano, which has become one of the most expensive vacation destinations in the entire World, but definitely worth a treat. Anyway enough of that. Let’s talk about Bar DeMartino and aperitivo time. 

 

    I grabbed a table on the terrace. “Lucky me.” Rosaria came over and asked what she could get me. What to get. A Negroni, a glass of Falanghina, a Campari, an OJ? What? I settled on a Campari & OJ. A great choice. How about an Aperol Spritz you ask? Well they existed at the time, but I wasn’t aware of their existence. I did however know about the Negroni, and Campari, which I had discovered on the beginning of my trip in Rome (Campari) and Florence. I had my 1st Negroni.

     A  few minutes later, Rosaria brought me my Campari, with a little bowl of Potato Chips to munch on with my Italian Cocktail. I sat back and enjoyed it. Savoring, my Campari, taking in what is without question one of the World’s most gorgeous views of all, looking down on Positano. I silently took note of myself, how lucky I was, savor the beautiful moment, never forget. It’s not everyone that gets to do what I was doing then, in the Summer of 1985. I was a young man in my twenties, who worked hard all year long. I worked extra hours just to be able to afford this. I was just a young working guy, who did not have much money by any means. I worked very hard all year long, year after year, and I picked up a lot of extra work just to be able to do this. Go to Italy. To Rome, Venice, Capri, Naples, and Positano, and live and feel like a “King,” if only for a couple of weeks. I’d do it. And I have all of these many wonderful years of memories. Beautiful memories of Capri, Rome, Positano, Paris, Asia, and South American. Memories I treasure. I worked for them, I did them, savored them, and keep them in my heart and mind. I am relieving them right now, as I write them down. Relieving them all. Now and always.

 

    I would do this for the rest of trip and anytime I was in Positano, over the years. My days were pretty much the same. I’d get up, have a lovely breakfast on the terrazzo. I’d walk down to the beach, and get a spot. I’d just hang. Swimming quite a bit, lying around, reading or not. Lying with my eyes shut, just listening to beach sounds, and loving it all. “I was on the beach in Positano.” The best beach town in all the World. Sometime in the early afternoon, I’d have lunch. Sometimes at the Beach Club, or I’d go over to Buco di Bacco, or La Cambusa and have a more substantial meal. Maybe some antipasto, and usually a plate of Spaghetti Vongole (Clam Sauce). Spaghetti Vongole being the best and most wonderful thing to eat, when on The Amalfi Coast. There is nothing better. And I just love it. Always.

 

     I’d go back to the beach, swim a bit more. Lay around on my chaise lounge, read, and relax. Doing nothing. Which is what you do in Positano. Eat breakfast, go to the beach, have lunch, go back to the beach, leave the beach, and go someplace for an Aperitivo (Italian Cocktail).

 

      Back then, I always went to Bar DeMartino, right next to my hotel, Cas Albertina. In later years, I discover how wonderful the huge Terrazzo at The Poseidon Hotel is. There’s a pool there, the large terrace, a restaurant and bar, and quite possibly, the best view in all of Positano. It’s absolutely magnificent, and open to the public. Now, in the past few years, since my favorite place Bar DeMartino has closed (so sad), the Terrace at The Hotel Poseidon, with the Tridente Restaurant & Bar is my preferred spot in Positano for an Aperitivo. There’s no place better, not even the newly opened “Franco’s Bar” at Le Sirenuse. Yes, Franco’s Bar is wonderful, and it’s at Le Sirenuse, which is always wonderful, but my first choice is the Poseidon. 

 

   Other spots for a cocktail are Cove dei Saraceni, Buco di Bacco, Paradise Bar, or at an outside table at Chez Black.

 

     After your (my) Apertivo, you go back to your hotel. Take a nice nap, awaken and take a shower. Get dressed and it’s off to dinner. You might have a cocktail before, or go directly to your restaurant of choice. My favorites are Buca di Bacco, La Tagliata, and Da Vincenzo. There are a number of more, but these are my favorite three.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Da VINCENZO
 
POSITANO



    My first dinner, my first time in Positano, it just had to be Da Vincenzo. It’s the only restaurant that I knew the name of that time (June 1985). I knew the name, because when I had met Rene Ricard, and he told me about Villa Maria ANtoinette, he told me that I just had to go to Da Vincenzo and eat Spaghetti Vongole, for as Rene said, “Spaghetti Vongole at Da Vincenzo, is the World’s Best,” so I went. I was thinking about it ever since that night on 2nd Avenue, and I couldn’t wait. So I went. Jesse greeted me at the door. I sat in the dining room that is built right into the mountain. There’s a mountain wall in the dining room. “I kid you not.” Same thing with Bar DeMartino. I looked the menu over. I knew what I was having for my main course. Yes, Spaghetti Vongole. And what to get for a starter? I decided on Grilled Octopus. I also ordered a small carafe of the local white wine (Falanghina). Well the Octopus was quite tasty, the wine was refreshing, and tasty as well. I finished the Octopus, and a few minutes later, came the dish I had been waiting to eat, my Spaghetti Vongole. All I can say is, “Oh My God? Incredible.” Yes Rene was right. In all likelihood, it was probably the best Spaghetti Vongole in all the World. How I enjoyed it. It was without question one of the best meals in my entire life, up to that point, and to this day, 4o years later, and many great meals, this still stands as one of the greatest, if not the best of all? Well yes, I can say it was, “The best meal in my entire life. It was so tasty. I didn’t have any dessert. The Polpo, Spaghetti, and wine were quite enough. I did have an espresso before leaving. 

I paid the bill and it was off to Bar DeMartino for a nightcap or two.

 

 

 

 

 
Da VINCENZO
 
As with Many Places in Positano, Da Vincenzo is built right into The Mountainside

 

 

  I got a seat outside at Bar DeMartino. I ordered a Negroni. It’s quite lovely, sitting in that spot and looking out over Positano in the evening. You are not at the bottom, but up a couple levels, and you see this lovely town before you. Homes built one atop the other, and flowing down from greater heights, down and down, one layer at a time, until you are at the bottom, and onto the beach and Mediterranean Sea (Tyrrhenian). The Moon shine down upon the Sea, and makes it sparkle with Moon Glow. And the lights of the town sparkle as well. Sorry if I can’t put it into words, but I think you get the picture. And the smells? There’s Jasmine and all sorts of flower smells as well. It’s quite intoxicating.

 

    I sat there at Bar DeMartino, Negroni in hand. I thought back on the day. And what a day it was. I boarded a train in Rome. ROme to Naples. It took 3 hours back then. Today (2025) it’s just an hour and 15 minutes. What a difference. Once I got off the train in Naples, I had to walk to the platform for the train to Sorrento, the Circumvesuviana is the name of the the train and train line. It travels from Naples to Sorrento and makes more than 20 stops at each town along the way, as it travels the circular rail around the great Mount Vesuvius Volcano.

  At the end of the line, you need to take a Blue Sita Bus (or private one) to get from Sorrento to Positano. As I’ve already stated, a beautiful spectacular ride. Then arriving in Positano.

 

    I had a little something to eat after getting off the bus at Bar International. I walked down to my hotel, checked in and took a shower. Went out to explore Positano. I did a bit of swimming and had a little lunch before going to Bar DeMartino for a Campari OJ and the gorgeous view from there. Back to the hotel for a nap, then that amazing dinner of Octopus, and Spaghetti Vongole at Da Vincenzo. “Amazing!” Then back to Bar DeMartino, a nightcap and my reflections of that first day in Positano. A day I shall never forget, as I recount it here and now, and always. Positano Bites Deep.

 

    The next day, I’d do it all over again, and so I did for 3 glorious days on my first trip to Positano, in the Summer of 85. The next Summer, I’d spend four days in Positano, after 3 splendid days on the Isle of Capri. I took a boat from Capri to Positano. I was looking for a new hotel this time. I liked Villa Maria Antoniette that first time but wanted something a little bit nicer this time around. So, when I poked my head into the reception area at Casa Albertina, Lorenzo was there to greet me. He was very nice, and he said he’d make me a special “young person’s price,” and so he did. I paid $79 a night that first time at Casa Albertina in 1986. Casa Albertina is a beautiful little family run hotel, where you get luxury at a lower price. The guest rooms are very nice, and the public areas, including the sitting room, dining room, and bar area are all beautifully appointed. I stayed at Casa Albertina for four days, then I also took two days exploring la Bella Napoli. I’d do the same in the Summer of 1988, with two days in Rome, before heading down to Capri and the Amalfi Coast, Positano, and one more night in Rome before flying home the next day to JFK.

 

   I bought my first pair of Espadrilles on that first trip, as well as a great hand-made pair of “Positano Style” men’s casual pants that I wore every Summer for several years, and always bringing those pants back to Positano each year. Positano is famous for its

 

 Positano Style Clothing, especially women’s dresses and blouses, but they make shirts and a few things for the men as well, thus my Positano Pants. 

   I started my collection of local Amalfi Coast ceramics on that first trip. In the town of Vietri Sul Mare where they make beautiful ceramic plates, and all sorts of ceramic objects that are typical of the area. I bought two beautiful plates in one of the ceramic shops in Positano on that first trip in 1985. I really loved those plates, and made some spaghetti that I ate on them as soon as I got back home. I ate on those plates all year long, and I’d buy a couple more the following year. But it wasn’t until 1988, when on my third trip to Positano,  I discovered that the plates were made in the coastal town of Vietri Sul Mare, at the most southern point of the Amalfi Coast.

 

   On that third trip (1988) to the Amalfi Coast, I rented a car one day to go to Pompeii for the first time, and also took a drive over to Vietri Sul Mare to buy some of the local ceramics. I bought; plates, a water picture, and decorative ceramic pieces that included a Virgin Mary for my mother Lucia, one for my sister Barbara, and one for myself. I still have mine, and all of my plates. I also got some creature’s of the sea wall decoration as well. I went to Vietri with a couple of ladies that I had met in Capri. We had a wonderful day visiting the ancient Roman Ruins of Pompeii, going to Vietri to buy ceramics, and having dinner in Minori. After dinner, we hopped in the car and back onto Amalfi Drive. We didn’t get very far, as when we drove into the town of Amalfi, we decided to stop and see what was going on. I parked the car and we went to an outdoor caffe for some evening cocktails. After Limoncello Cocktails we strolled around Amalfi. It was The Feast of Santa Anna  and the Piazza del Duomo was abuzz with music and activity of tourists and local revelers. It was happy and festive, and the girls and I had a nice little time there. 

 

   This was the first time I ever drove the famed Amalfi Drive, known as one of the World’s great driving-roads. And it certainly is, with its unmatched beauty, and its  famed hairpin and horseshoe turns. The Amalfi Drive is quite the road to drive. I surely savored the chance to drive it, taking all those crazy turns, and marveling at the beauty of it all. It was a wonderful experience, and being such a young man, I enjoyed it all the more. It’s a day I shall never forget.

 

   On my second visit to Positano (1986), I was lucky in that I was staying at Casa Albertino during the time when the hotel held its annual cocktail / dinner party for their guests, and that’s when I met my sweet friend Nicoletta. The party was wonderful. There was a big buffet table with wonderful treats from the Hotel’s Chef. The buffet table included : Prosciutto, Provola, Croquettes, delicious Arancini, Gnocchi, Ravioli, and other culinary delights. I drank Campari and Biancolella local wine, it was all quite wonderful. At the party, I met and chatted with several other hotel guests, and we all had a delightful evening. All courtesy of the Cinque family of Hotel Casa Albertina.

 

 

 

 

 
 
HOTEL CASA ALBERTINA
 
POSITANO
 
Reservations & Info



  Yes, I was quite lucky to walk into Casa Albertina and meet Lorenzo that day. He gave me a special room rate far lower than the regular price, and I got to stay at the Cinque Family’s beautiful hotel. In the dining room where the party was, the next day I had lunch with Nicoletta and her friends. 

 

  My days spent at Casa Albertina, I’d awaken from a lovely night’s sleep, take a shower, get dressed, and go downstairs for breakfast on the terrace. My morning breakfast consisted of; Cappuccino, fresh squeezed Orange Juice, yoghurt, fresh Peaches, and a fresh baked Cornetto with apricot jam. And with one of the World’s most spectacular views, I’d soak-up the warm Amalfi Coast Sun, before heading down to the beach for a day’s swimming, and lazily lounging under the warm Positano Sun. “Heaven.”

 

   After breakfast, it was down the pathways to make my way towards the beach. I’d go to my favorite beach in town, the Lido La Scogliera next to Music on The Rocks. Yes, I paid more to be there, but it was worth every penny, for those times are precious memories I have to this very day and beyond. It’s not material things but wonderful times and memories of them that count in one’s life. I have a good number of those. “Yes I am quite Blessed.”

 

  Lunch at either La Cambusa or Buca di Bacco, both right down at the main beach and near Lo Scogliera. At either place, I might start with a fresh Insalata Caprese, which is often followed by a plate of Spaghetti Vongole or I can choose to opt for a tasty plate of Linguine con Cozze (Mussels). And to go with lunch, I’ll have a glass of local Biancolella or Falanghina wine.

 

    Another lunch option would be to go for a Pizza, (Chez Black) while other times I’d pick up a Panino and some fruit at one of the great little salumerias (Italian Deli) and bring it to eat right at the beach. Sometimes I’d get an Arancino (Rice-Ball) and Frittata from one of my favorite Salumerias along the way, and I’d be all set for a tasty little inexpensive lunch at the outdoor dining room that is at one of the beaches in Positano itself.         

 

 

 

 

 

 
POSITANO The AMALFI COAST
 
TRAVEL GUIDE – COOKBOOK
 
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   In the Summer of 86, I needed something to read at the beach, a good beach read, so to speak. Well there’s no book store in Positano, but they did have some best selling paperback novels at one of the shops, where I spotted Jackie Collins “Hollywood Wives.” So I got a copy, I took it to Lo Scogliera, and enjoyed reading it in the Summer of 1986. OK, I admit it, I read Hollywood Wives, “Sue me.”

   So as I’ve already briefly stated, after the beach I’d head to Bar DeMartino for an aperitivo of Campari and Soda. I didn’t know about Aperol back then, nobody did. I did however discover Aperol and the Aperol Spritz way back in 1995 at a Bacaro (Wine Bar) in Venice one night when I was looking for a little night-cap before heading back to my room at the Hotel Gueratto. I saw people drinking them and asked the bartender what they were? He replied, “Aperol Spritz,” and I told him I’d take one. That was about 18 years before the Aperol Spritz Craze that hit the shores of New York and America around about 2015 or so. I was already drinking them in Venice way back in 1995. And as for the Negroni, I discovered that sublime cocktail at the grand Caffe Giacosa in Florence ten years before, in that splendid Summer of 1985. Now guess what folks. Here’s another thing that has become a “Thing.” This thing is the Aperol Spritz, it’s all over, thousands of them. You can’t pass a caffe, bar, or restaurant that has tables outside anywhere in Sorrento, Positano, Capri, and anywhere along the Amalfi Coast or any coastal town in Italy that there aren’t people drinking Aperol Spritzs, it’s the new thing. When did it become a “Thing,” I don’t know. All I know is, I’ve been drinking them since 95, years before drinking an Aperol Spritz actually became a “thing.” And yes, I still drink them, and Campari & Soda or OJ, and a Negroni or two, but now, more often than not, I’ll be sipping on an Amaro. My favorite Amaro is Lucano, but I like Nonnino, Averna, or Rucolino from nearby Ischia, And speaking of Amaro Lucano and the Amalfi Coast, I shall never forget the Spring of 2018 when I took a trip with cousin Tony and introduced him to Amaro Lucano and Ferrari Perle, and we drank those two things all the trip long. It was Tony’s first intro to Amaro and he fell in love with the stuff. And Ferrari Perle as well. Both such lovely things to drink on the Amalfi Coast, wouldn’t you think? “Yes they are.”

 

   Now, for my time spent at Bar DeMartino and my ritual late afternoon aperitivo on the Amalfi Coast. Yes, most often I’d get a Campari & Soda or Campari OJ, a glass of local white wine, or a nice refreshing Lemonade, made with the great Amalfi Coast Lemons that we all love. Bar DeMartino was a great little family owned bar (caffe) that was the first tier up as you walked the main road, the Via Pasitea, to the middle parts of Positano. As you are walking up the Via Pasitea you will reach the Hotel Poseidon at one point, and Da Vincenzo is just about 300 feet more up the road. By the way, the Hotel Poseidon is a really wonderful hotel with a beautiful pool on a huge terrace where the Ristorante & Bar Tridente is located, and this is a great place for lunch, or dinner, and best of all it’s one of the best places in Positano to go for an afternoon or early evening aperitivo. The view from the terrazzo is one of the most beautiful in town. You will then come upon the part of town by Da Vincenzo, Casa Albertina, and where De Martino used to be. In this part of Positano, you have enough height to look down to the main part of town and the center with the beach, as well as the church of Santa Maria Assunta and its glorious ceramic dome that dominates the lower part of town. You will see this view in a million pictures of Positano all over the place. So, you start walking up the path past the Zagara and the area of Mulini. You then hop on the road, the Via Pasitea. You walk up the road, past the parking lot, and up by the Hotel Poseidon and Hotel Reginella. It’s an easy walk with a gradual incline. You will come to Bar DeMartino (now Bar Positano) on your right, and their terrazzo is across the street from the bar. There, you can sit at an outdoor table as I’ve always loved to do. There are also outdoor tables up against the bar, across the street. Da Vincenzo Ristorante is right next to Bar DeMartino (Bar Positano) and the stairs and pathway that lead to my favorite hotel in town, Casa Albertina is in-between Da Vincenzo and The Bar Positano.

 

  So I’d sit there with my Campari and take in the spectacular view there as you look down to lower Positano, the Sea, the church, and all the homes and buildings as they climb the mountain town, one-atop-the-other, and up to The Path of The Gods. If you are in there, you might ask yourself, “could anything or any place be more beautiful than this spot right here?” I think not. To this day, I’d have to say that those times I spent sitting there on the Terrazzo of Bar DeMartino, sipping my Campari as I gazed across the way and down to the deep blue Tyrrhenian Sea and the whole of Positano, those were some of the most wonderful feelings I’ve ever had in my entire life. They were absolutely perfect little moments in times, Times that I shall never forget, sitting there, savoring the World’s most beautiful view. Yes, I sat there looking and pondering Positano, perched in that little bar, a Campari in hand. It’s times like those, that are  the simple little pleasures in life. Just a brief moment in time, and oh so wonderful. Yes, now and then, you have to live the charmed-life, and those moments at Bar DeMartino, many years ago, were the charmed life for me. “How bout you? Will you do the same?”

   There’s nothing quite like a late afternoon nap after a day at the beach. Being in Positano with its sweet fresh flowers, the air fresh from the sea. It’s all quite wonderful.

 

   My nap finished, I’d jump in the shower, get dressed, and head out for a drink or two at the terrace of the Poseidon Hotel.

  Evenings in Positano have their own special magic. Some nights I’d be sitting outside on the terrace of the Poseidon Hotel for cocktails, and I’d be gazing out upon the sea below, my eyes set upon the town and the sea below. Positano is lit up with the twinkle of many lights and MoonBeams spread out across the sea. This is a whole other feeling, so if you ever get to this enchanting little spot, I can guarantee you that the magic of Positano is real. Chatting with friends, sipping my Negroni and breathing in that special Positano air. The air is filled with the scent of blooming Jasmine that mingles with Calamari cooking on the grill and Pizza baking in wood-burning ovens. All these scents blended with the heady aromas that lingered in the night air. “This is my Positano.”

 

 

 

 

HOTELS POSITANO
 
The AMALFI COAST & WORLDWIDE
 
BOOKING.com

 

 

     A little bit more on Ristorante Da Vincenzo. It’s always worth hearing about Da Vincenzo, for many who go to Positano, Da Vincenzo is their favorite restaurant in town. When I had my dinner that first time at Da Vincenzo, I met Victor and Jessie and I had a most wonderful time, and as I’ve always said, “I felt like a King.” That’s how I feel when in Positano or on my beloved Isle of Capri, I feel like an absolute King. Well at least once a year anyway. Believe me, it’s a good way to feel. And so you shall. Just make your way to Positano, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast of Italy. 

 

   After dinner in Positano, I usually go to La Zagara. Besides the gelato and tasty Italian Pastries that they are well known for, a little known secret is that they make some of the tastiest Arancini to be had on all the Amalfi Coast. These Arancini (Rice Balls) are wonderful to bring to the beach or as a snack anytime of the day and whenever you might be just a little hungry in-between your meals. The Arancini at La Zagara are along with the ones made by the people at the Salumeria Capri on Capri, are the best you will find in the entire region. Yes, they are that good.

   Anyway, go to Positano. Go to Capri and the Amalfi Coast. Take my advice, I’ve been going a long time. Make some of your own little discoveries on your own. That’s what I do. I’ve been doing it since 1985. I do what I did on these first few trips, but I find new things too. New discoveries. You’d be surprised how much you can do. Most of all, eat, drink, explore, and just relax. You will have the time of your life. It’s Positano.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Excerpted from POSITANO The AMALFI COAST Travel Guide – Cookbook

Available on AMAZON

Dive Bars of New York

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PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER

New York & The $3 PBR

“IT STILL EXISTS” !!!! 2022

New York and the $3.00 PBR, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer has been a God-Send to many New Yorkers. As you all know, the US Economy has been in the Shitter for the past 5  years or so.



Many people are out of work, and many who are working, are taking home Half-as-Much Money or more of what they used to make. People have had to buckle down and give up or curb many things they enjoyed previous to the current state of our economy, which is in almost a Depression Era State.

Yes, everybody says that we are not in a Depression, we’re in a recession. Those are the Rich and Well-Off, The 1%-ers  talking. To many, the state of our Union and their feelings are of Depression.
So, because of the Terrible State of our Economy you have given up eating out 3 times a week, you buy less clothes, spend less on Entertainment and any number of things. You haven’t had a vacation in the past two years, maybe more. You’ve given up a lot. We all have.

Now when it comes to socializing, going out for a few Beers or Cocktails with some friends, you’ve had to cut back on that too. But hey, you gotta draw a line somewhere, and everyone is entitled to a few drinks to unwind every now and then, and to be with friends. Yes times are bad, people are hurting, you need your friends more than ever. And having a few Beers or Drinks is one of the most common adult ways to do so. It’s natural and part of everyday life. You should be able to have two or three drinks or beers and not have to spend a small fortune doing so. You should be able to have 2 beers for about $10 including tip, and about $16 for tow drinks including tip. That’s reasonable. That’s what most people pay around America, and even less. But we don’t live in America, we live in the greatest City in The World, New York, and Cocktails and Beers here can be oh-so-dear. “Expensive!” Expensive as Hell, “Ridiculously Expensive.” It’s absurd and outrageous, with many places thinking it’s normal and OK to charge $16.00 or more for a measly little Cocktail made by a friggin so-called “Mixologist.” Ha! 

It’s not OK, what’s a person to do? So yes, we live in New York, and having a couple cocktails here can be a costly undertaking.. What is a Poor Working Guy or Working Girl to do??? Well Boys and Girls, let’s Thank God for that great thing of wonder and the Bars and establishments who so graciously and kindly serve it, The $3.00 PBR, That’s right, a $3.oo Beer in The Land of The Over-Priced $16.00 Cocktail, Manhattan, New York, NY….. It’s quite Sad, Greedy too, not to mention “Ridiculous Ludicrous and Insane.”


Yes, Thank God and let’s thank the Kind-Hearted proprietors who serve $3.00 PBR’S or any Beer for just $3 or $4 in a New York Bar. You are doing your fellow man a public service and we thank you for that. Whoever you are, you are to be commended, and Shame-On-You, all those places that serve $14 PLUS Cocktails. “RIP-OFF” !!! Wish the masses would Boycott these places and patronize places like Blue & Gold Bar, 7B, and anyplace who has a heart. Bars that serve 3 and 4 Dollar Beers.

I just have to say, it’s great to go to a place like Blue and Gold Bar on East 7th Street and know that you can have 3 or 4 Beers for just $12 to $16, accounting for a Buck a Pop for the Barkeep. Now that’s pretty good. I have had the best times hanging at Blue & Gold with some friends. You sit at the Bar or get into a nice comfy booth, drink your Beers ($3 PBR’S), relax, listen to the Music, Chit Chat, and just enjoy, and it’s not going to cost you The Shirt Off Your Back.

Yes, you can have 4 Beers, tip included for the price of 1 Rip-Off Drink at one of those Rip-Off Joints. And if you are Dumb enough to have four drinks in one of those places, guess what it’s going to cost you? About $75 my friend.

Well, do the Math, and if you can afford $75 for only 4 drinks, God Bless You. And if you can’t, you’ve got an alternative. Right, your local $3.00 PBR Joint. They’re a God-Send.

 Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Copyright 2008 

PLACES To GET A $3.00 PBR in NEW YORK



BLUE & GOLD BAR

East 7th STREET, NY NY
The EAST VILLAGE

BLUE & GOLD BAR in the East Village, on East 7th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Blue & Gold has long been a favorite of mine ever since I lived in the East Village from 1982 to 1994. It’s just a cool ol normal old style bar with a pool table, standard 50’s 60’s Bar Decor, and Best-of-All $3.oo PBR’S and $6.00 Cocktails. I love it.




FRIENDS GET TOGETHER
GOOD TIMES at BLUE & GOLD
“And You Can AFFORD IT” !!!!

BLUE & GOLD BAR
The PRICES Are POSTED & EASY to SEE




The HORSESHOE BAR


The HORSESHOE BAR

aka 7B

Real Name is “VAZAC’S”


The BAR

Half it ANYWAY ?


VAZAC

7B


Corner of East 7th Street & Avenue B

The EAST VILLAGE NYC

7B   a.k.a. The Horseshoe Bar, also in the East Village, a bastion of cheap and fare prices in Manhattan and Land of The $3.00 PBR (now $4 in 2023) and other $3 and $4 Beers.  7B  is located on the corner of Avenue B at 7th Street .. 







SINATRA SAUCE
COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK
His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES
PASTA – MEATBALLS – CHEESE CAKE
And MUCH MORE ….
AMAZON.com
MILANO’S
MILANO’S
BAR
51 East HOUSTON STREET
NY NY
New York’s favourite Dive Bar. Milano’s is what you dream of when you think Dive Bars. Cheap Beers ($4), a Great Jukebox, and Potato Chips. “you gotta have Potato Chips” !
For those who Love Dive Bars, and are native New Yorkers, Milano’s is their Fave when it comes to Dive Bars.
Opened Since 1880, Milano’s is one of New York’s oldest bars.
At The BAR
“MILANO’S”
New York, New York








AMERICA’S FAVORITE FOOD

And SECRET RECIPES


BURGERS TACOS BURRITOS

SOUP SNDWICHES BBQ

And MORE …
AMAZON.com

LUCY

“LUCY’S BAR”

135 AVENUE A  NY NY



Lucy’s Bar is the most aptly named bar in New York. For Lucy—the quiet and small and sweetly proper Polish owner with the well-coifed gray hair and floral blouses—is who you’ll see when you go there, and Lucy is the one who will serve you. If there are other employees, they’ve hidden themselves somewhere in the back.

Though Lucy’s is undeniably a dive (and one of the last in the neighborhood), it feels more like your aunt’s aging rec room, a place where you’d never think of disrespecting the house’s hospitality. It’s also one of the last vestiges of the Polish community that was once made up a significant part of the East Village’s character.

Ludwika “Lucy” Mickevicius moved from Poland to New York in the late 1970s and soon got a job at Blanche’s, a bar on St. Mark’s Place run by another Polish woman. She became such a fixture that people began to think of the bar as Lucy’s, and, when Blanche retired, she sold the place—by then located on Avenue A—to her bartender.

Lucy’s life doesn’t range much further than the twin poles of her joint and Poland, which she visits regularly, shutting up the tavern at a moment’s notice and disappearing for weeks at a time. Most nights, she stations herself at the far end of the bar near the ancient cash register. (It’s cash only here.) One recent evening, the Halloween balloons hadn’t yet been taken down. Then again, assorted Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations were already out. Maybe none of the decorations are ever packed up?

Lucy doesn’t budge much behind the bar, but she keeps herself busy for a woman in her mid-70s. She will draw you a pint or a glass of tequila. And, if she likes you, she might pour you a shot of żubrówka, a Polish bison grass vodka, on the house. When the place gets stuffy, she’ll swing open the door to let some fresh Avenue A air in; just as quickly, she’ll close it if it gets chilly.

The clientele ranges from a less-intense sort of downtown hipster, who exchange a few friendly words with Lucy—who, even all these years later, still speaks in broken, accented English—and then retire to their personal conversations, to old Polish regulars. In fact, on another recent night, a young couple came in to show Lucy their young child. All four spoke entirely in Polish and a delighted Lucy let the little scamp climb atop the pool table. As they left, she handed the kid one of the old Halloween balloons. For those few minutes, Lucy’s was a family bar.





2022 and You Can Still GET a $3 PBR


LYS MYYKTA aka  “The SLY FOX

142 2nd Avenue, New York NY – The EAST VILLAGE


LYSMYKTA

“The SLY FOX”


LYSMYKTA aka “THE SLY FOX” is a Ukranian Bar in a Ukranian neighborhood in
New York’s East Village. There’s a Ukranian Restaurant in the back, serving delicious Ukranian Food and very reasonable prices. Yes this is thee main neighborhood of Ukranian peoples in New York City. The restaurants great, and any bar that serves $3 PBR Beer is great in my book too.

If you can go some place for drinks (beers), to hang and chit-chat  and have 3 Beers, and not have to spend more than $15, that’s a place for me. You shouldn’t have to pay $40 plus for just 2 drinks (or $60 for 3). People who don’t make quite so much money as Lawyers, Wall Street Guys and whoever, should be able to afford to go for 2 or 3 drinks and not spend an “Arm and a Leg” to do it. 
The SLY FOX is a place where you can do that, and thank God we have them, and a few other joints that we can do so.





YES – “LITTLE UKRAINE”

The EAST VILLAGE








$4 BEERS at “SOPHIE’S”

East 5th STREET Between AVENUES A & B

The EAST VILLAGE NYC



I’ve been going to Sophie’s, along with Lucy’s, Blue & Gold Bar,
the Holiday Lounge and others since first moving to The East Village in 1982.
Prices have gone up in a lot of places, and now in many places – cocktails cost are
in the high teens, Twenty Dollars, and even up to $29 for a cocktail, as I witnessed when
a friend and I went to The Chelsea Hotel a couple weeks ago. Yes, $25 and $29 for a cocktail. Damn?

We spotted a nice looking bottle of Cote du Rhone for $78 a bottle. Not cheap, but in comparison to $29 a cocktail. Four drinks would have costs us $114, so we got the wine for $36 dollars less than 4 drinks, and put that $36 into a tasty Cheeseburger. The Burger came with Fries, and we had them cut it in half. It was Super Tasty. We loved it. Even Better than Burgers at Minetta Tavern. “Seriously” !!!

I’ve been at Blue & Gold recently, as well as “MILANO’S” – Sophie’s, and 7b Bar. All serve $4 beers. Thank God for these places. I’ve said it before. I can go into Andy one of these places and have a couple Beers and live a respectable $4 tip, and walk out just spending $12. Not bad. Two cocktails plus tax and tip at The Lounge Bar at The Chelsea Hotel would be at least $50 for the two drinks plus $4.50 tax plus at least $10 for tip for a grand total of about $65, as oppose to $12 at any of New York City’s awesome Dive Bars.

Don’t get me wrong. Yes, we’re comparing Apples & Oranges. When I went to The Chelsea Hotel, I knew it wouldn’t be cheap, and I was prepared to pay for the privilege (of being there). My friend and I had a great time. We were there for a couple of hours BS-ing about this and that. We killed that bottle of Cote du Rhone and got another glass of wine each ($22 a glass). The check was about $170, not including tip, which was another $50, for a grand total of $220. Not cheap, but we had a “Great Time” and we were happy. You gotta treat yourself sometimes. But most times will be spent at a good dive bar.

“Thank God” for Good Dive Bars”

New York City




LUCKY’S BAR

168 Avenue “A” New York NY , East Village


Get $3  PBRs at LUCKY’S BAR
168 AVENUE “A” NY NY
EAST VILLAGE
JOHNSON’S BAR  … 168 RIVINGTON STREET, LES NEW YOIRK NY
Inside JOHNSON’S BAR
$2  PBRs
PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER
PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER
A PBR at “JOHNSON’S”
Only $4 – As of 2025
“STILL a GREAT DEAL” !!!

Johnson’s Bar
NY NY
MORE PLACES to GET $3 PBRs
CATS SPORTS BAR –  96 GREENWICH STREET at RECTOR NY NY  $3 PBRs
WALTER’S BAR – 389 8th Avenue Near 32nd Street and MADISON SQUARE GARDEN .. $3PBR
DOC HOLIDAY’S   141 AVENUE “A” East Village NY NY  – $2  PBRs





The SHARK BAR


aka SPRING LOUNGE

48 SPRING STREET

New York NY




The SPRING LOUNGE

aka SHARK BAR

48 SPRING STREET NEW YORK NY

The SHARK BAR
SPRING STREET at MOTT
Back in the day, when it was an ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD here.

Where it GOt its NICKNAME “SHARK BAR”
Nobody “In The Know” calls it Spring Lounge, only Green Newcomers to Downtown New York would ever call it SPRING LOUNGE. For years it was a neighborhood “Shot & Beer” Joint. It became trendy about 20 years ago (1999)
Those “In The Know” like me, only ever call it “The Shark Bar” … It got this name from
the fake SHARK hanging over the bar, and that’s that!
You can’t get $3 Beers here, but we incuded it anyway. And although it’s a Trendy so-called Hipster Bar, those of us Old Timers who still call it The Shark Bar, it still has a special place in our hearts.
Basta !




 

 

2ac44-bi-leb-small

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

Daniel Zwicke

AMAZON.com




169 BAR

Lower East Side

If Clockwork’s happy hour special seems too good to be true, you’ve got a little good old fashioned neighborhood competition to thank. Located right around the corner, 169 has been in operation since 1916. And its 11:30am-7:30pm HH is among the best in the city. $3 will get you an “Old Man Can/Bottle” of beer (PBR, Carling Black Label, Schaefer, Genesee Cream, High Life/Miller Lite) and any well shot. Subtly New Orleanian environs (window shutters look like they’re fresh off a Creole cottage; beads are strung here and there; there’s crawfish on the menu) evoke genuine good times.


 

 

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Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin


LED ZEPPELIN IV


STAIRWAY to HEAVEN

GREATEST ROCK SONG of ALL TIME


LED ZEPPELIN  IV








LED ZEPPELIN


JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT, JOHN PAUL JONES, JOHN BONHAM



Why is Stairway to Heaven so special?
What makes stairway to heaven such an iconic song? Really catchy opening guitar, interesting and mystical-sounding lyrics, solid (albeit poorly recorded) drumming, fantastic melodic solo. That heavy final minute or so, too. Just a very well constructed, great sounding rock song.


Lyrics
There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is goldAnd she’s buying a stairway to Heaven
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closedWith a word she can get what she came for
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to Heaven
There’s a sign on the wall, but she wants to be sure‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings
In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who singsSometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven
Ooh, it makes me wonderOoh, makes me wonder
There’s a feeling I get when I look to the WestAnd my spirit is crying for leaving
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the treesAnd the voices of those who stand looking
Ooh, it makes me wonderOoh, really makes me wonder
And it’s whispered that soon if we all call the tuneThen the piper will lead us to reason
And a new day will dawn for those who stand longAnd the forests will echo with laughter
Oh-oh-oh-oh-whoa
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed nowIt’s just a spring clean for the May queenYes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long runThere’s still time to change the road you’re on
And it makes me wonderOhh, whoa
Your head is humming, and it won’t go, in case you don’t knowThe piper’s calling you to join him
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow? And did you knowYour stairway lies on the whispering wind?
And as we wind on down the roadOur shadows taller than our soulThere walks a lady we all knowWho shines white light and wants to showHow everything still turns to goldAnd if you listen very hardThe tune will come to you at lastWhen all are one, and one is allTo be a rock and not to roll
And she’s buying a stairway to Heaven






STAIRWAY to HEAVEN “SUCESS & LEGACY 

“Stairway to Heaven” is often rated among the greatest rock songs of all time. Music journalist Stephen Davis wrote that the 1971 song ascended to “Anthemic” status within two years. Page recalled, “I knew it was good. I didn’t know it was going to become like an anthem, but I did know it was the gem of the album, sure.”

“Stairway to Heaven” continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs, including a 2006 Guitar World readers poll of greatest guitar solos. On the 20th anniversary of the original release of the song, it was announced via US radio sources that the song had logged an estimated 2,874,000 radio plays. As of 2000, the song had been broadcast on radio over three million times. In 1990, a Tampa Bay, Florida, area station (then WKRL) kicked off its all-Led Zeppelin format by playing “Stairway to Heaven” for 24 hours straight. It is also the biggest-selling single piece of sheet music in rock history, clocking up an average of 15,000 copies yearly.

In total, over one million copies have been sold.

The band never authorised the song to be edited for single release, despite pressure from Atlantic Records. Page told Rolling Stone in 1975, “We were careful to never release it as a single”, which forced buyers to buy the entire album.

In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine put it at number 31 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”, then number 61 in 2021.  On 29 January 2009, Guitar World magazine rated Jimmy Page’s guitar solo the best of the publication’s 100 Greatest Guitar Solos in Rock and Roll History.

In 2001, the New York City-based classic rock radio station WAXQ conducted a listener survey to create a countdown of 1,043 rock songs (the number corresponding with the station’s position on the dial at 104.3 FM). “Stairway to Heaven” garnered the most votes from listeners. WAXQ has conducted the survey annually since then; in each subsequent countdown that has followed, including the most recent in November 2024, “Stairway to Heaven” has been the top-ranked song.

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